WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia #281, by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
The fateful clash against Shigaraki seems to be quickly approaching its climax as the heroes of My Hero Academia are coughing up blood and sacrificing their tomorrows in order to put the man down for good. Since Shigaraki's awakening, the heroes have faced twist after twist that has not only devastated their forces but also left the entire future of Japan on the line. The Decay wave that obliterated much of Jaku City was a chilling demonstration of the power they stood against, the rise of the underground nomu horde and an All For One-augmented Shigaraki left them zero chance to regroup -- stranding Deku and the ragged team of heroes to face off against Shigaraki on their own.
Now, this team of heroes and Shigaraki are reaching the final limits of their strength, and the next few seconds will decide everything. In My Hero Academia Chapter #281, Shigaraki aims two Quirk-erasing bullets at the heroes but are left on a nail-biting cliffhanger as to whom they may hit.
The battle so far has been a tense back-and-forth when it comes to whether Shigaraki or the heroes have the upper hand. Despite having his Quirk nullified by Aizawa's Erasure, Shigaraki's new synthetic body has lent him strength akin to that of high-end nomus. It's allowed him to temporarily hold his own against the combined forces of Endeavor, Deku, Bakugo, Gran Torino, Ryukyu, Aizawa, Manual and Rock Lock. At the start of Chapter #281, he deals them a horrifying blow by apparently murdering Gran Torino with his bare hands.
The heroes all retaliate in grief-fueled rage, with Deku screaming that he'll never forgive Shigaraki and pinning him in place with Black Whip. Ryukyu does her best to hold down Shigaraki as well -- despite having her draconic hands broken -- and Endeavor fires up for one final blow that will kill the villain. They're all under immense pressure to end this now, since as soon as Aizawa blinks, Shigaraki will regain the use of his Quirks.
But unknown to them all, Shigaraki has a final, fateful card up his sleeve. He's aiming two Quirk-erasing bullets at the heroes. Many readers will notice the bullet he's gripping in the final page of the chapter, but if you examine the panels closely, you'll notice he has a bullet in his other hand as well. Should these bullets hit their targets, the heroes in question will lose their Quirks and become helpless on the battlefield.
All told, it's a grim situation. The upcoming chapter of My Hero Academia may be its most important yet with the Quirks of Aizawa, Endeavor and Bakugo at deep risk of being lost ... and a high chance for Shigaraki to unleash a second Decay wave if Aizawa so much as blinks.
My Hero Academia Chapter #282 will release Aug. 30 from Viz Media.